Pueblo West two-sport athlete gets appointment

The Pueblo West High School senior received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy this past week and will play baseball for the Falcons.

Drury, a two-sport athlete at Pueblo West who has excelled in football and baseball, began the application process in December.

“(Pueblo West) Coach (Dan) Sanchez told me he talked to the Air Force baseball coach (Mike Kaslausky) and said they were interested in me coming to Air Force,” Drury said. “The Air Force coach called me one night and told me to get my initial application going. I got my candidate status and started to pursue it more.

“Once I got all that done, I got my congressional appointment.”

The commitment isn’t quite complete, however, as Drury still is waiting on some paperwork that will clear him physically.

“I have to go to six weeks of basic training in June so I’m going to start getting ready for that,” Drury said. “And hopefully I have a good baseball season. Obviously, I have to get ready for that, too.”

Drury admitted he’s always had an ambition to attend the academy in the back of his mind.

“I’ve always thought about it,” he said. “Once the coach called me and said they were interested, that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue it.”

Drury said he won’t be able to be a pilot because of his eyesight, but he’ll pursue the medical field and hopes one day to be a doctor.